FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a conventional connector (see PLT1). A connector 201 shown in this figure is mounted on an electric vehicle, and connected to a connector of a charging cable for charging a battery of the electric vehicle.
This connector 210 includes: a housing 202; a cover 203 pivotally supported by the housing 202, and opening and closing an opening of the housing 202; a spring 205 biasing the cover 203 toward a side away from the opening; a lock 204 for keeping the cover 203 closing the opening by hooking on an edge 233 of the cover 203 closing the opening; and a spring 206 biasing the lock 204 toward a side close to the opening.
The cover 203 opens the opening when the connector of the charging cable is inserted into the housing 202, and covers the opening any time other than charging to prevent water or dust from entering the housing 202.
The lock 204 is provided with a base 240 having a shaft hole into which a support shaft is inserted; a pushing claw 242 projected from the base 240, and positioned at an outer surface side of the cover 203 covering the opening; and a projection 243 projected from the base 240, and arranged nearer the shaft hole side than the pushing claw 242. This lock 204 is hooked on an edge 233 in a manner that the edge 233 of the cover 203 covering the opening is positioned between the pushing claw 242 and the projection 243.
Further, a dashed line K in FIGS. 8 and 9 indicates a rotation track of the projection 243. As known from FIGS. 8 and 9, the edge 233 of the cover 203 covering the opening is not overlapped with the rotation track K of the projection 233.
Next, an open/close operation of the cover 203 of the connector 201 will be explained. When closing the opened cover 203, while the lock 204 is rotated toward a side away from the opening of the housing 202 against a biasing force of the spring 206, the cover 203 is rotated to a position covering the opening against a biasing force of the spring 205, and the lock 204 is released to hook the lock 204 on the edge 233 of the cover 203. Further, when opening the closed cover 203, the lock 204 is rotated toward a side away from the opening and the cover 203 against the biasing force of the spring 206. Namely, the lock 204 is released. Then, the cover 203 is automatically opened due to the biasing force of the spring 205.